Government aims to build web trust

The government wants to build consumer confidence in the internet to encourage citizens to use online public services.

In the third annual UK Online report, the government says it will build a regulatory framework around trust and confidence to encourage more people to use the web.

The reports says that the government will: 'build trust in the internet by: advising citizens about how best to use the internet safely and by building a coherent regulatory framework to increase consumer confidence.'

The strategy echoes Computing?s ?A Question of Trust? campaign. It has been developed as a result of the government's recognition that not enough citizens are using online services.

Speaking at the launch of the annual state of the UK online nation report, Douglas Alexander, the minister for e-transformation, said the government must look further than the 2005 target and be more ambitious.

'It's no longer enough to have all government services online by 2005,' Alexander said. 'We must be more ambitious getting services online. If you can have the citizen at the heart of these services, we'll see better uses.'

The report states that the government will focus on making 'the most popular online services' available as soon as possible.

'These include services in the following areas: services to businesses; benefits and personal taxation; transport information and booking; education; health; citizen interactions with the justice system; land and property; agriculture and e-democracy. We will therefore give greater priority to enabling and maximising take up of these key services,' said the study.

In addition, the report says that the government will redefine its vision of its role in delivering these services, and develop a longer term agenda.

According to eEnvoy Andrew Pinder, 54 per cent of public services are already available online, and the figure is expected to increase to 73 per cent by the end of the year.

The report sets a target of internet access to everybody who wants it by 2005.

'The question of whether we have reached universal access is over,' Pinder said. 'There is universal physical access. The question is what do we do about these people who have the physical access but not the motivation to use the technology.'

The government has pledged to increase public awareness of the internet by: 'informing citizens about the services they can access and the places they can do this.'

In addition, the government will promote affordable internet access at home, at work and 'on the move'. It will do this by supporting the PC, digital TV and public access internet points.

It will continue to push the benefits of ecommerce to the business community, promoting the use of UK Online for Business. It will encourage the use of broadband in industry and will be 'modernising the regulatory, legal and fiscal framework in the UK to meet the needs of the e-economy'.